Drowsy/Fatigued Driving is Fatally Dangerous to Teens and Other Young Drivers

Teenage drivers are very aware of the risks of alcohol-impaired driving and are much less likely to drive under the influence of alcohol than are non-teen adults.

However, teens don’t recognize the dangers of drowsy driving and the majority of drowsy driving-related crashes involve drivers under the age of 25.

A recent study found that three-fourths of teens reported seeing their peers driving while fatigued. The research surveyed 5,665 ninth, tenth and eleventh grade students representative of all 10.6 million public school students in grades nine through eleven.

The study was conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Company.

Reference:

Winston, F. K., et al.Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens. A Research Report by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Company. Philadelphia: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2007.